Wagon-brake



(No Model.)

R. A. ADAMS.

WAGON BRAKE.. No. 597,173. Patented Jan. 11,1898.

UNITED r STATES PATENT @reina ROYAL A. ADAMS, OF BLAKESBURG, IOWA.

WAGON-BRAKE.A

SPECIFIOATION forming part of Iietters :Patent No. 597,173, dated January 11, 1898.

Application filed NOVelllbel 15,1893. Serial1l'0.490,992. (No modeld To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROYAL A. ADAMS, acitizen of the United States, residing` at Blakesburg, in the county of apello and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in l/Vagon-Brakes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to that class of devices which form a connecting-link between a hand-lever located upon the body of a wagon and a brake located upon the running-gearg and its object is to provide means whereby the said two portions of a wagon-brake may be readily connected or disconnected without the use of any tool, such as a wrench or screw-driver, and whereby removable parts, such as screws and nuts, for holding` these parts together may be dispensed with, thus avoiding' the loss of parts and the waste of time in hunting them up if they chance to be mislaid. y

To this end my invention consists in the construction and combination of parts forming a Wagon-brake, hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure I is a top view of that. portion of a wagon-brake which embodies the main characteristic of my invention. Fig. II is a side view of the same, showinga portion of an intermediate lever of a brake connected therewith. Fig. III is a side view of a portion of a wagon, showing the location of my invention in service.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 5 represents a wagon-body, 6 one of the hind Wheels, and 7 a brake arranged to slide `on the running-gear l0 of the wagon and to engage said wheel. To the brake 7 is connected one end of a rack-bar 20, which is longitudinally movable in suitable hangers or supports extending from the running-gear lO of the wagon. A lever 8, having an opening or eye 16 in one end and pinion 9 on the other end thereof, is pivotally secured to the runninggear, so as to cause said pinion to engage the teeth of the rack-bar 2O to move the brake.

With the construction as above described it is usual to secure the free end of the lever 8 to a rod, by means of bolts and nuts or keys, which extends to and is connected with the brake or operating lever Il, which is pivoted at l2 to the wagon-body. "When itis desired to remove the wagon-body from the ruiminggear, it is necessary to disconnect the rod from said lever S, and to accomplish this the nuts and bolts or keys must be removed with suitable tools, thus causing delay and requir ing that tools be at hand and also rendering liable the loss of said nuts or bolts or keys after removal. To obviate these objectionable features in this class of devices, I provide a connecting-rod I4, adapted to beinstantly connected t0 and disconnected from the lever 8 without the use of tools of any kind and whose connection with the lever is effected without the use of bolts or nuts or other loose parts, and in the use of which there is no liability of the accidental disengagement of the rod and lever.

To accomplish my object, I provide a rod 14, having one end bent at an obtuse angle, as at 2, and then at right angles to form a Wrist-pin 4, adapted to enter the perforated end or eye 16 of the lever 8. The rod la may be formed of one continuous piece, with the end bent as described or it may be formed of a short piece having one end screw-threaded, so as to adapt it for connection with brakerods of wagons now in use to which it is desired to apply my improvement, in which case I employ a sleeve 17, formed with interior screw-threads for coupling the rods together and which sleeve also forms a stop for the spring 19. Vhen the rod is formed of a single piece, a collar or other suitable stop 'for the spring takes the place of the sleeve 17. On the rod le is looselyarran ged a sleeve 18, having a finger or extension 2l, and in rear of said sleeve a spring 19 is arranged on the rod, so as to engage the end of the sleeve and normally hold the end of its extension 2l in contact or engagement with wrist-pin fi of the rod, and thus lock the end of lever 8 on the pin between said extension 2l and the bent end of the rod and preventing liability of the parts becoming accidentally disengaged, While the sleeve may be readily slid back on the rod against the pressure of the spring when desired to remove the pin from the eye of lever d,

IOO

It will be observed from the above description that Iprovide avery simple device having no loose parts and not requiring tools to connect it with or disconnect it from the lever and Which may be quickly and easily connected to and disconnected from the lever by any person.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination, in a vehicle-brake, of a rod for coupling or connecting the operatinglever and the brake having one end bent out of alinement andthen at right angles to form a Wrist-pin, a sleeve having an extension or finger arranged on said rod and a spring for holding said inger normally in engagement With said pin, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

ROYAL A. ADAMS. Vitnesses:

S. D. BURNS, En. I. RAMSEY. 

